CHAPTER 15
Mindy shivered on the front stoop, the morning chilly despite the approach of spring. As soon as the Trans Am pulled into her driveway—later than usual—she skipped down the steps, her smile faltering when she saw who was behind the wheel.
Ricky. He was alone. Cameron had been riding to school with Anthony ever since they got back together. Normally she would hop into the back, so Ricky and Diego could be together up front.
“What’s going on?” she asked when sliding into the passenger-side seat. “Is Diego sick or something?”
Ricky sounded vulnerable when responding. “You haven’t seen him?”
Mindy shook her head. “What happened?”
“He hasn’t called or stopped by?” Ricky pressed. “I won’t be upset.”
“No.” She made a face. “Why would you be anyway?”
He swallowed before shifting into reverse. Mindy wasn’t sure if he was old enough to drive, but their school wasn’t far.
“I think I messed up,” Ricky croaked.
“Did you guys get into an argument?”
“Not really.”
“Ricky!” She placed a hand on his forearm to get his attention. “Stop making me guess!”
“Sorry.” He pulled over and parked. “I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to tell you.” His head was bowed, his forehead crinkled. “I guess it’s okay if…” Ricky looked over at her with red eyes, like he’d been crying. “I found the suicide note Diego’s dad left behind.”
Mindy gasped. She knew how important that was to Diego—how it haunted him not to know the reason his father had taken his own life. “What did it say?”
“Something horrible. I can’t say what exactly.
But I need your help, because Diego sent me home.
I never should have gone. I ended up driving back to his place an hour later.
His mom answered the door and said he wasn’t home.
She looked like hell. I think they might have had a falling out.
I mean, they must’ve considering… Anyway, I’ve paged Diego a bunch of times since then and haven’t gotten an answer. I don’t know where he is.”
“Neither do I,” Mindy said. “What are we going to do?”
“Ask around, I guess,” Ricky said. “I’m really worried about him.
Even though he’ll probably never talk to me again.
Diego said I did the right thing by showing him the note, but I also lied.
I acted like I didn’t know what it said.
I’ve known for weeks. I just…” Ricky’s voice squeaked to a halt before he got himself under control.
He glanced at her self-consciously. “I showed him for the wrong reason. And now I’m paying the price, but all that matters is that he’s okay.
So if he comes to you just—” He shook his head, overwhelmed by emotion again. “Just be there for him. Okay?”
“Of course!” Mindy said, her heart breaking in sympathy. “I’m sure he only needs a little time to deal with everything. Reading a note like that, no matter what it says, would be upsetting. Diego must feel like he’s lost his father all over again.”
Ricky grimaced. “You have no idea.”
Mindy stared at him. Then she checked the clock. “We’re going to be late. Do you want me to drive?”
“I’m okay.” Ricky wiped at his eyes before taking the wheel again. “I’m hoping he’ll be at school today.”
By the time they got there, the sidewalks had already cleared of students.
The bell went off just before Mindy reached her class, but she had never been late before and her teacher wasn’t a stickler, so it didn’t matter.
She kept an eye out during that period and those that followed for anyone who knew Diego, asking if they had seen him but didn’t get any leads.
Lunch was her best bet. They were braving the courtyard again, the weather often mild enough during the peak of the day.
Even as she pushed her way outside, she could tell Diego wasn’t there.
Keisha hadn’t seen him either, but Cameron’s grim expression revealed that he had.
“Diego showed up at my place yesterday. He needed somewhere to stay.”
“So you took him in?” she asked, sitting near him on one of the stone benches.
“Of course! He was uh…” Cameron looked a little pale. “Not in the best shape. He found out some things about his dad.”
“Ricky told me about the suicide note,” Mindy said with a nod. “Not what it said, but that it really upset him.”
“Yeah. To say the least.” Cameron took a deep breath. “I’ve never seen him like that before.”
“Oh no!” Mindy placed a palm over her chest. “So where is he now?”
Cameron shrugged. “I woke up in the middle of the night and he was gone. I figured he went home.”
“He’s probably catching up on sleep,” Keisha said dismissively. “I’m sure he’ll turn up tomorrow. Especially with our next play just around the corner.”
Mindy wasn’t as certain. Ricky and Cameron both seemed shaken by what they’d seen.
She still remembered how devastated Diego had been years ago when he lost his father.
Now those old wounds must have reopened.
Passively waiting around for him to resurface wasn’t an option.
Ricky was right. Something needed to be done.
But what? Mindy racked her brain, barely aware of the meal she consumed, while trying to imagine where Diego might be. She thought of how he used to eat lunch outside in the parking lot, all by himself, before she had coerced him into joining their little group. If he felt like being alone…
She excused herself and went to check, her heart leaping when she saw him standing next to a motorcycle, the sky sluggish and gray behind him.
Diego gave an upward nod. “Hey, princess.”
“So you are here today!”
He shook his head. “Not really. I just thought…” His eyes remained locked on her as he shrugged.
“What’s going on?” she asked while approaching.
“Not much. Found out that my old man is actually my uncle. My real dad is some guy I’ve never heard about until yesterday.”
She tilted her head to the side. “So your dad…”
“Isn’t dead. Or hell, maybe he is, I don’t know. But the guy who killed himself wasn’t my father, that’s for sure.”
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!”
Diego shrugged. “It’s not your fault. My mom, on the other hand… I mean, put the pieces together. It’s fucking sick.”
Mindy struggled to do so, her mind still reeling. His mother must have had an affair with her husband’s brother.
“I should probably get going,” Diego said, swinging a leg over his bike and grabbing the handlebars. His knuckles were purple, swollen, and crusted with dried blood.
Mindy’s stomach lurched. She nodded at his hands. “What happened?”
“I lost my shit,” Diego said, not even glancing at them.
He kept staring at her instead. She could sense his need, how he was aching inside, despite the stoic facade.
He’d been that way when they were younger too, shortly after the suicide.
The boy who was always so animated and wild had gone still, like someone who was quietly wounded.
“I’ll be right back,” she said. “Don’t go anywhere yet. Promise me.”
He studied her a moment longer before letting go of the handlebars and sitting upright. “I promise.”
Mindy rushed into the school, her mind whirring.
How could she help him get through this?
Her parents going through a divorce was one thing.
Finding out she wasn’t their biological child would’ve made her feel like the world had slipped out from under her.
Diego needed someone to anchor himself to.
Not just her, but all of his friends. If only she could gather them together, but the bell had gone off.
Lunch was over. She darted and dodged her way through the hall and back again.
He was still there when she returned to the school parking lot, standing next to his bike.
“What’s that?” he asked as she approached with a small white tube.
“Antibacterial cream,” she said, squeezing some onto the tip of her index finger. “So your knuckles don’t get infected. Hold out your hands.”
He complied, wincing as she rubbed the ointment in as delicately as possible. “You keep that stuff in your locker or something?”
“No. I got it from the school nurse. You’ll heal faster this way.”
“Something tells me it’s gonna take more than that.”
“You’ve gotta start somewhere.” She shot him a smile.
His face remained impassive, smoldering eyes still trained on her.
“Did you ask your mom about everything?” she inquired while working.
His reply was gruff. “She wasn’t in the mood to talk about it. And I don’t need her to. I’ve got all the facts.”
“Maybe there’s more to the story than you realize.”
“Like what?”
Mindy shrugged. “You don’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“What’s your point?”
“What if that was the only way your mother could get pregnant? And she wanted to have a baby as close as possible to the man she loved and turned to his brother for help.”
Diego snorted. “Is that the sort of thing you read in your romance novels?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “but it could be true. Right? I mean… She’s your mother. I’d at least give her the benefit of the doubt.”
She glanced up to see Diego shaking his head ruefully.
“What?”
“You’re always looking on the bright side, aren’t you?”
“I guess. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. It’s what I like about you. I hope you never change.”
She recognized the look in his eyes. The longing contained there.
Mindy had seen it previously. Just before they had kissed.
Her cheeks flushed as she focused on the task, which didn’t help alleviate the tension much, considering that she had to take hold of his big strong hands when working on each.
“Ricky is worried about you,” she murmured.
“Tell him he needs to learn how to park straight.”
“I mean it,” she said, finally daring to meet his gaze again. “He needs to see that you’re all right. Even if you aren’t. Are you going to be at rehearsals later today?”
“No,” Diego said. “I’m done with that sort of thing.”